Cable shows clean up Emmy nominations

Actress Kerry Washington, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Chairman Bruce Rosenblum and TV host Jimmy Kimmel announce the nominees for the Outstanding Comedy Series Award during the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations held at the Television Academy's Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre on July 19, 2012 in Los Angeles, Calif.

Horwich: It seems like we are seeing more cable programming nods than ever before.

Feinberg: Absolutely. If it had not bee for Downton Abbey and The Good Wife was still not in the category, then we would, for the first time ever, have had no broadcast network shows among the drama series nominees.

Horwich: So is this a sign of the end times for successful broadcast television programs?

Feinberg: I think it's getting close because they've become two different mediums almost, where with cable some of these shows have 10 episodes a season, like Girls, whereas something like The Good Wife -- which was bounced today from the drama series category -- has to do 22 or 23 a season, which doesn't sound like a huge difference, but it really is. Not only the amount of work that that involves, but the fact that these guys on broadcast have to constantly deal with commercial interruptions and all kinds of things that the cable folks don't.

Horwich: What about the future for highly acclaimed online only shows, like Lillehammer is one of them that a lot of people love. Netflix is about to air a new season of Arrested Development. Is there any future for online only stuff in the Emmy's?

Feinberg: I'm sure there's a future for them in terms of finding an audience, but as far as Emmy's -- these guys are sort of slow to change. I mean, at this point now, they've embraced the cable thing, but it took them a number of years to fully get on board. But I don't anticipate online series displacing something like a Downtown Abbey anytime soon because of the production value and even more importantly probably, the heft of the networks to promote these shows. It's become like the Oscar season for Emmy's -- these guys spend a lot of money on advertisements, whether it's on the backs of buses or park benches or in trade papers like ours. And so, in order to just be as visible and competitive you would have to spend a lot of money that I'm not sure these websites have.

Horwich: Scott Feinberg covers the Emmy's and other awards for the Hollywood Reporter. Thanks very much.